Taxi Driver Online

Guilty defendant taken ill in dock Dec 10 2004




South Wales Echo


A BOGUS taxi driver was carried unconscious from the dock minutes after being found guilty of sexually assaulting a teenage student at knife-point.

Five security officers had to remove Tunisian-born Moez Chammeme from the courtroom to the cells at Cardiff Crown Court yesterday.

The alarm was raised by a female interpreter who was in the dock with him throughout his three-day trial.

Seconds later he slumped down in his seat.

Judge David Wynn Morgan had already warned the Fordthorne security guard that he faced a long prison sentence, and told the jury that medical help would be called.

Chammeme had picked up the 18-year-old victim in his car on Kitchener Road as she walked home in the early hours of August 22.

She told the court: "He said he was a taxi but when he stopped and I said how much he said: 'Nothing love' and grabbed me.

"The car doors were locked and I couldn't get out. His one hand was on me and there was a knife in the other."

After returning unanimous guilty verdicts on charges of false imprisonment, indecent assault and attempted rape, the jurors discovered Chammeme, of Lisvane Street, Cathays, had been cautioned earlier this year by the police for another incident involving females and taxis.

Prosecutor Michael Matherlees said: "In January CCTV cameras filmed him driving into a city centre taxi rank then out again following two young women. He was seen to be performing a sex act on himself while driving."

The judge called for probation and psychiatric reports before passing sentence in the New Year and asked to be informed of the 25-year-old's status in the UK.

I know its sells newspapers but it completely p*sses me off when I read about people pretending to be taxi / phv drivers.

regards

Captain cab

What those security chaps should have done was to take that unconsious chap straight to a plane and send him home.

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IDFIMH

If this is an offence then he should have been done for it, if it was not then why has it been Mentioned??

how was he seen performing a sex act on himself? was his sunroof open?

hehe

Captain cab

always keep mine closed meself.

Seriously though if he was caught on CCTV doing this at the same time as stalking two young girls why the fleck wasn't anything done about it?

you are of course right eric, but this gets me;




this happens too oftensurely ever la has a duty to educate the public as to what they should and what they shouldnt get into.

Saying that they dont even seem to know themselves, if you go onto the Liverpool city council website and check out the licensed vehicles, they call PH private hire taxis, now is that misleading or what?

regards

Captain cab

I did think at first London were taking the PH act too literally, but you have valid point here.

For example we are not allowed to use the words taxi or cab in our advertising as it is said to be misleading to the punters.

Still it dont stop the touting, I was on a few late ones over the last week and even I got touted off shaftsbury need a taxi sir he said, in his merc, I said thats illegal he said call the cops pal

you are correct, i personally dont like the idea of ph picking up hc fares, but then im a hc driver so i wouldnt!.

however, id rather the public got into a licensed ph, with a driver who has been crb'd and vehicle that had been checked, than into a car driven like a perv in this article.

regards

Captain cab

Thats the whole point captain this was not a licensed pH vechile if it was it would have had discs on the front and rear window which it did not, he was a tout, not licensed, not insured and possibly dangerous.

Now if all PH vehicles had proper PH signage, and a proper PH roof-lights, then people could be assured that the vehicle they ordered is the one taking them home.

And if a PH vehicle has 'Prior Bookings Only' or the like on the doors, then people would realise that it isn't a taxi. Although I doubt that many really care as long as the vehicle and driver are council checked.

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IDFIMH

its the same old [edited by admin] story with the local councils. In some areas ph are not allowed to have a taxi roof sign or signage to make it easier to identify a taxi. Where i am glasgow city council do not allow it, but due to the boundary changes, some other local areas within what we still know as glasgow, can have signage, i think ill apply for my plates to one of these authorities next time round. I t makes it easier for joe public to identify taxis,,

Hi

And I thought that stupid rule only applied to London, something about not wanting to confuse the general public.

If It was clear that the vehicle was prebooked only surely that would make it clearer for the general public.

It is the PCO who are confussing the punters by not allowing any singnage of any description on PH vehicles. Yes it would much easier for them to identify their car with signage.

Further to which we dont have plates either on PH vehicles, we have instead a disc the size of a tax disc in the front and rear window.

That coupled with the recent ads they are putting out makes all PH look like touts in the public's eyes.

I am just glad I dont drive a mini cab and most of the punters I take know me

The PCO have backed down due to the black cab lobby, although isn't the firm with the funny coloured Fiats appealing against it?

That aside, in my manor the council/social services wont allow any contract work to go to firms that don't have proper door signage.

_________________
IDFIMH

Sussex wrote:



PCO and everyone it would seem backs down to the black cab lobby, powerful body they are

What firm with the funny coloured fiats is that then



And quite rightly so, all providing that same council actually allows it on PH vehicles.

Regards

Eric